Is Big Fear Blocking You From Your Life Purpose?

When I Faced My Fears and Changed My Life Forever

Dr. Wayne Dyer has always believed in following your passionate life purpose. He himself took a big chance to find his life purpose when he left his tenured teaching position at St. John’s University in New York to spend his time pitching his first book—Your Erroneous Zones. Here’s the story of that risky move as he explains it in his memoir, I Can See Clearly Now:

New York, 1977

My world has changed dramatically since I made the decision to go it alone as a self-employed writer. I have spent the past year working full-time to promote my first book for the general public, Your Erroneous Zones.

On a joint conference call with my agent, Artie Pine, and my editor, Paul Fargis, I am told that there are two pieces of news that are going to blow me away.

The first is that Your Erroneous Zones will appear on The New York Times bestseller list on Mother’s Day, May 8, 1977, as the number one best-selling book in the country. The second is equally exciting: Your Erroneous Zones has been put up for bid at an auction with all of the paperback publishing houses. The bidding has exceeded well over one million dollars, and Avon Books will be bringing this book out as their number one lead book for the fall of this year.

I have just been informed that I am the author of the number-one-selling book in the country, and I have also just become a millionaire as a bonus! I am over the moon with joy. I put the phone down in my little rented house on Long Island and put my head into my hands, and tears flow down my face.

I have been doing nothing but following my own vision and advancing confidently in the direction of my own dream, and endeavoring to live the life I have imagined. It is what I read on the wall of the Thoreau Lyceum in Concord, Massachusetts, when I visited and lay on the bed where Henry David Thoreau slept back in the 19th century. And this great teacher of mine, who guided me through so many roadblocks when I was back in high school, was so right.

I have met with a success totally unexpected in common hours. I am overcome with emotion.

I call my mother in Detroit to give her the news. She receives my news with the same sort of ecstatic shock that I’m feeling. She is sobbing with joy as she playfully reminds me that my book is such a huge success because she was the one who typed the manuscript before I gave it to the publisher. This beautiful woman—who sacrificed so much to get her broken family back together after being abandoned by my biological father, who worked every day of her life without complaint—is the mother of a millionaire author, who’s written the most popular book in America.

Before hanging up she says, “My son the doctor! I’m honestly not surprised, Wayne. You were always looking at the stars. I love you so much.”

I hang up the phone and say a profound prayer of gratitude for this enormous blessing that has arrived in my life.

I feel humbled by the fact that I have come from such scarce beginnings, and I pray for help in remaining unaffected in any egotistical way by all of this external bounty. I make a commitment to make certain that my two brothers and our mother will never be saddled with a mortgage payment.

I Can See Clearly Now

What stands out most clearly to me today as I relive those glorious moments of achieving such exalted status in the publishing world is the biggest fear that I had inside of me. It concerned my ability to handle the financial uncertainty at the very beginning of my decision to leave the university and head out on my own.

I loved the feeling of freedom that was so nourishing to my soul; however, my head was filled with dread over money worries.

“What stands out most clearly to me today as I relive those glorious moments of achieving such exalted status in the publishing world is the biggest fear that I had inside of me.”

I grew up in an era of pretty severe poverty. My parents weathered the Great Depression and money was always a very big concern. I was weaned on a shortage mentality, and placed in foster homes largely because there simply wasn’t enough money to take care of the most basic of needs. My mother, who had three children by the time she was 24, worked first as a counter girl at a five-and-dime, and then as a secretary.

My father, who was jailed for stealing on more than one occasion, just abandoned his fatherly responsibilities and disappeared. I grew up working from the time I was nine years of age. Money was a big issue everywhere I lived. A lack of money and fear of monetary shortages—and remembrances of being hungry and not having enough food to eat—were imprinted on my subconscious mind rather emphatically.

Consequently, heading out on my own with a family to support at the age of 36, with no guaranteed income, was a monumental thing for me. I loved the idea of being my own boss, but I dreaded the thought of not being able to provide for my family and myself.

What feels much clearer to me now as I look back on this risky move is the importance of feeling the fear—acknowledging it rather than pretending it wasn’t there—and then doing what my heart and soul were telling me I had to do.

It was my willingness to align my body and its actions with my highest self, which could no longer handle living a lie.

“…heading out on my own with a family to support at the age of 36, with no guaranteed income, was a monumental thing for me. I loved the idea of being my own boss, but I dreaded the thought of not being able to provide for my family and myself.” — Dr. Wayne Dyer

As I traveled the country, and then the world, doing what I knew was my Divine purpose, everything began to fall into place.

When that conference call from Artie and Paul announced my new fiscal status as a millionaire with unlimited earning capacity, I realized a very important truth. It was spelled out by Patanjali some 2,300 or so years ago. This great spiritual master offered the kind of advice that spoke to me back there in 1977. He said, “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds, your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world.” Then he added, “Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”

I love this passage—especially the part about dormant forces. These are forces that we often think are dead and inaccessible, but he said they come alive to assist us when we are inspired by some great purpose and acting upon it. I realized I had a lot of worries and fears about money that I’d grown up with and lived with my whole life, and that they dominated much of my thinking. What Patanjali offered was true for me in a big way.

“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds, your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world.” Then he added, “Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”

As I followed my dream—stayed in-Spirit; that is, inspired—I made more money in the first year after I gave up my employment than I had made in the previous 35 years of my life.

Somehow I see it so clearly now: When we stay on purpose and steadfastly refuse to be discouraged, accepting our fears and doing it anyway, those seemingly dormant forces do come alive and show us that we are greater people than we ever dreamed ourselves to be.

We discover that we are one with our Source of being, and as Jesus put it so perfectly, “With God all things are possible.”

I have been so inspired by Wayne and was deeply saddened that he will not be around to continue his wise teachings. His book the sacred self put me on a spiritual path in my life that I have turned away from and I am forever grateful to have his gifts blessing my life.

Barbara Stewart
I can’t believe how I feel today, after hearing of the very sad loss of such a lovely, inspirational teacher and normal person..I’ve only found Wayne’s teaching on you tube this year and so thankful to Louise Hay for guiding me to him..He has given me a new perspective to my life and helped me so much in such a short time..I pray for all his family and friends and wish them peace and love and thank you for sharing this great mans life and wisdom with the world..Wayne will be never be far away from any of us..love you always Wayne thank you

Thank you so much for this inspiring post, Wayne! It speaks to me deeply, as I just quit my day job as a lawyer to pursue my soul’s calling as a sound healer, speaker and workshop facilitator. You have always been an inspiration to me! Thank you for being You!

He’s opened my eyes, here’s my conclusion (I just started reading the Tao Te Ching so this is pure speculation)… I’m Christian, was raised a Catholic and due to some things/personal mostly no-so-fulfilling events occurring in my life I started reading the Bible. I realized how much more fulfilling it was comprehending it on my own rather than attending “rule-based” church ceremonies and what-not, but I didn’t have that click I was in search of… then a family member of mine recommended “The Shift” – I watched the video and read the book – absolutely the best thing I could read, serving also as the catalyst propelling my interest in the Tao. With that said, my interpretation is this:
God exists and all religions/books/etc are derivatives of the same things, whether it be the Bible or the Koran or the Tao; the issue with the former two IMO is that they personify God and define him as a being which generates questions of doubt – does he exist, though none of us want to ask it aloud, but I will. Like the Tao says, and I’m paraphrasing “God is everything and can’t be divided, once we attempt to divide or define him or the oneness, the true god in our thoughts doesn’t exist”…something along these lines. God is everything, oneness, he’s our source, the supreme energy, the one we must return to and every division via judgements of things in this world cause a world of twoness and separation from our Source – negative energies, fears, insecurities, doubts, anger, etc. These are the very things that move us way from our Source; we must align ourselves through the teachings of this ancient Wisdom brought so gracefully to us by Dr. Dyer – he’s truly the only one I’ve seen put it in words so simply comprehendible.
I think that God is an energy that rests in our subconscious, the Secret Temple if you will, the dark matter we can’t see, the area that stores all information/knowledge/wisdom and can be polluted through negative thoughts and strengthened through positive thoughts and meditation. I believe that when God (Bible) relocated his spirit in us as the temple that each and every one of us has not just our soul but a piece of god already buried in our subconscious sitting there, listening, waiting, helping (when we align our energies), and Dr. Dyer has truly opened this up to all of us or at least made it easy to understand for us simple-minded beings..
Keep this wisdom flowing Dr. D!

I absolutely love your messages, Dr Dyer, your voice puts me to sleep most nights and on the other nights it’s your wonderful friend Louise Hay, which is how I found you only two short years ago. My oldest son and I “woke up” at approximately the same time and I recently shared your messages with him. His writings are something I think you may be interested in reading too. http://www.wanderingnorthe.com
Thank you for sharing with the world, your thoughts in book form, for us to read over and over until it clicks. You are an amazing soul! Much love and many blessings to you 🙂

Dr Wayne, I am on a Grand assignment! I have some very powerful spiritual messages to share with all of my brothers and sisters on this planet! Please read my e books. They contain some of the spiritual messages that I have received in the last 6 months! They are vital and helping uplift the pool of humankind’s consciousness. This is the time of awakening!

Dr Wayne, I am on a Grand assignment! I have some very powerful spiritual messages to share with all of my brothers and sisters on this planet! Please read my e books. They contain some of the spiritual messages that I have received in the last 6 months! They are vital and helping uplift the pool of humankind’s consciousness. This is the time of awakening!

Why it is always the material success has to be the measure of all successes? Why not, a life in sacrifice or simple living be one. Financial or material success in the age when children living in poverty or people becoming homeless, does it really matter. The wisdom has to flow into action as was the case with David Henry Thoreau, without any fear of losing all the material comfort.

You are my MOST Favorite author and spiritual teacher n the world. Your teachings were my introduction to the idea that we can indeed create our own reality. Once while at my spiritual home Agape International Spiritual Center I was sitting next to a man who looked just like you. I kept starring at him. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore and i tapped him on his shoulder and asked if he Was indeed you, and expressed how I felt about you and owned every book you ever wrote. He said he gets that all the time and offered to hug me on your behalf. IT WAS HEAVEN. Everytime I read your words, or watch your PBS specials on TV every hair on my body stands up, because I know you are holy inspiration. Thank you for all you do to enlighten and guide us to find our own path and passion. I LOVE you, Peace and Blessings to you!

A Quote from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Blog; “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds, your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world.” Then he added, “Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.” This is a opening for all who choice no limits!

Thank you for sharing! I have been at a crossroad searching for confirmations of a major shift in my career into my purpose of being an author & coach… I have been searching for clarity & needing to fully follow my intuition to follow through with my purpose & calling in life… I have followed you since the beginning of my spiritual journey & once again… you have shed light on me at just the perfect time…. I appreciate you more than words can express! Namaste